•West Ham loss at Molineux against Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers secured their first Premier League win of the season with a commanding 3-0 victory over West Ham United at a freezing Molineux Stadium today.
West Ham’s survival hopes took another blow as goals from Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan, and Mateus Mané within the first 41 minutes gave Wolves an unassailable lead against Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.
The 20th match of the season for started disastrously for the Hammers.
Wolves took the lead in just the fourth minute when Soungoutou Magassa’s error in midfield allowed Mané to feed Hwang, who crossed low for an unmarked Arias to finish from eight yards. West Ham responded briefly but failed to test Wolves goalkeeper José Sá for the rest of the game.
Wolves doubled their advantage in the 31st minute after Maximilian Kilman failed to clear his penalty area. Magassa fouled Mané, and Hwang calmly converted the spot-kick, rolling the ball down the middle past Alphonse Areola.
Mané sealed the scoring in the 41st minute, collecting the ball in space, running at Dinos Mavropanos, and firing a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner.
After the break, Wolves managed the game comfortably, while West Ham’s best effort came from Jarrod Bowen’s wayward overhead kick, leaving the visitors without a single shot on target. Wolves also went close to increasing their lead when Hugo Bueno forced a diving save from Areola, substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen narrowly missed a header, and Mané tested the goalkeeper again with a smart turn.
The result ends West Ham’s nine-game winless streak in the league.
They now face fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, a match crucial to their survival hopes.
